David Holmes (politician)
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- See David Holmes for other persons with this name.
David Holmes (March 10, 1769–August 20, 1832) was the last governor of the Mississippi Territory and the first governor of the State of Mississippi.
Though he was born in York County, Pennsylvania, Holmes and his family moved to Virginia when was a child. He served as U.S. Representative from Virginia from 1797 until 1808 when he was appointed Mississippi's fourth territorial governor. Holmes was very popular and his appointment marked the end a long period of factionalism within the territory.
In 1817, Mississippi was admitted as the 20th state into the Union and Holmes was elected as the first governor of the State of Mississippi. Holmes was sworn into office in October 1817, though official statehood was not granted until December of that year. During his term, the state judicial system was established, the state militia was created, and land east of the Pearl River ceded by the Choctaw Indians was organized. He served a complete term of two-years, but Governor Holmes decided not to run for re-election in 1819.
In 1820, the state legislature elected Holmes to be one of Mississippi's Senators in the U.S. Congress, and Holmes served from 1821 until his resignation in early 1826 due to his election to another term as state governor. Because Holmes's declining health led him to resign, he served only six months (January-July, 1826) as Mississippi's sixth governor. Holmes returned to his native Virginia where his health continued to fail before his death in 1832 at Jordan's Sulphur Springs, near Winchester, Virginia. He is buried in the Mt. Hebron Cemetery there.
Holmes County, Mississippi is named in honor of him.
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| Preceded by: George Jackson |
U.S. Representative (District 3) from Virginia 1797–1808 |
Succeeded by: William McCoy |
| Preceded by: Robert Williams |
Governor of Mississippi Territory 1809–1817 |
Succeeded by: Office becomes Governor of Mississippi |
| Preceded by: Formerly Governor of Mississippi Territory |
Governor of Mississippi 1817–1820 |
Succeeded by: George Poindexter |
| Preceded by: Walter Leake |
U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Mississippi 1820–1826 |
Succeeded by: Powhatan Ellis |
| Preceded by: Gerard Brandon |
Governor of Mississippi 1826 |
Succeeded by: Gerard Brandon |
| Governors of Mississippi |  |
|---|---|
| Holmes • Poindexter • Leake • Brandon • Holmes • Brandon • Scott • Lynch • Runnels • Quitman • Lynch • McNutt • Tucker • Brown • Matthews • Quitman • Guion • J. Whitfield • Foote • Pettus • McRae • McWillie • Pettus • Clark • Sharkey • Humphreys • Ames • Alcorn • Powers • Ames • Stone • Lowry • Stone • McLaurin • Longino • Vardaman • Noel • Brewer • Bilbo • Russell • H. Whitfield • Murphree • Bilbo • Conner • White • Johnson • Murphree • Bailey • Wright • White • Coleman • Barnett • Johnson Jr. • Williams • Waller • Finch • Winter • Allain • Mabus • Fordice • Musgrove • Barbour |
